New process keeps milk fresh for up to 40 days

Food & Drink

A Puerto Rican dairy company has become the first to use a new pasteurisation process that keeps milk fresh for longer

Spotted: Puerto Rican dairy “Tres Monjitas” is using an idea from the Soviet Union and technology from the US to produce the world’s first fresh long-lasting milk. Ordinary fresh milk lasts around two weeks. However, the new process, called Millisecond Technology, extends shelf-life to around 40 days. This innovation could also open up the possibility of shipping dairy products abroad.

In the U.S., the sale of unpasteurised milk is prohibited. Raw milk can contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter that can potentially cause food poisoning. However, pasteurisation does not kill off all the bacteria, which is why even pasteurised milk goes bad in under two weeks.

The new process kills off more bacteria by applying sudden pressure changes to the milk. This forces microbes to the edge of the milk droplets, where the heat from pasteurisation can better reach them.

Unlike UHT milk, the long-life fresh milk retains all of its nutrients. The extended shelf life of the new product will allow the company to export fresh milk, as well as reduce the island’s reliance on milk imports.

Keeping food fresh for longer is one way to reduce food waste, an important problem around the world. Springwise has recently covered several other innovations that help to reduce food waste. These include a T-shirt made from sour milk and spoilage sensors that can detect when food is about to go bad.

Takeaway:

In addition to reducing food waste, the new milk could be a boon to areas like Puerto Rico that are often hit by storms. Because the milk remains fresh longer without refrigeration, it could also provide an important source of nutrition for children affected by natural disasters.